Many types of scooters currently exist on the market. One type of scooter is “kick” or “push” scooters that require riders to manually propel the scooter. Although economical to operate as it requires no fuel, kick scooters relies on the operator to propel it. This can be tiring for the operator over long distances. An optional add-on to the kick scooter is a motor and battery system. Typically, the motor and battery is integrated into a single housing, with the drive shaft of the motor protruding from the housing. The housing is rigged to the steering column of the scooter such that the drive shaft of the motor contacts the front wheel of the scooter to drive the wheel (“the drive wheel”).
As the run time of the motor is proportional to the capacity of a battery, a fairly large battery is typically used to achieve longer run time, thereby allowing the scooter to be propelled over longer distances. However, the addition of the battery and motor assembly adds tremendous weight and upsets the balance of the scooter as the weight is distributed towards the front portion of the scooter. Thus, the larger the battery, the more upset the balance of the scooter becomes. In another approach, the motor and battery assembly is attached to drive the rear wheel, but this approach also encounters similar problems with improper weight distribution. Moreover the mounting of the motor as an add-on does not provide the most efficient or consistent contact with the drive wheel. For example, when the scooter goes over a bump or over rough terrain, the motor might become temporarily disconnected from the drive wheel as the motor and battery assembly is not always attached securely or properly to the scooter, and hence the wheel. In addition, once the battery has become drained, then the motor would have to be disengaged from the drive wheel to allow the drive wheel to be “free-wheeling”. Otherwise, the operator has to overcome the resistance generated by the motor.
In an attempt to resolve the weight distribution due to the addition of a motor and battery and provide better contact between the motor and the drive wheel, a type of scooter referred to as “motorized” scooters integrates the motor and battery onto the scooter as original equipment. Typically, the motor drives the front or rear wheel, but the battery is separated from the housing of the motor and located on another part of the scooter, such as the body of the scooter. Better weight distribution is achieved, and a transmission may be added to allow better power delivery from the motor to the wheel.
Although the integration of the battery and motor to the scooter as “original” equipment solves some problems, it causes others. For example, the addition of the transmission increase the base cost of the scooter, and is another point of failure. In addition, once the battery runs out, the motor has to be disengaged from the drive wheel. Further, as the motor is typically mounted such that the axis of the motor is parallel to the axis of the wheel, the body of the motor often protrudes out of either the left or right side of the scooter, affecting the balance of the scooter, interfering with the rider's kick stroke, and increasing the risk of damage to the motor due to the exposure (or impact) of the motor to outside elements.
Accordingly, there is a need for a scooter that attempts to overcomes some of the problems stated above.